Kirjahaku

From bellbottoms and Bible camp to a career center stage, this beautifully written, heartfelt memoir, written in the style of Mark Twain, is both a coming of age and American success story. The first person in his family ever to graduate high school, Elrod made the unprecedented decision to leave his redneck region behind—the coalmines and poverty of Appalachia—and seek, instead, something more from life. Early musical success enabled him to explore the world in renaissance meccas such as Paris, Rome, Florence, and Barcelona. He also served as the Music and Arts Pastor at two of the most influential American mega-churches. Still, with each new accomplishment, he felt even more unfulfilled. After three decades of performing for tens of thousands, a growing disillusionment with the church, and life-altering circumstances, he stepped off stage. Returning home to pick up the pieces of a shattered life, he discovered what had been missing all along. Hilarious and irreverent, the characters and tales are as unforgettable as they are entertaining. So pull up an easy chair, grab a glass of wine, a shot of moonshine-or if you're Baptist-some sweet tea, and get ready to laugh out loud and perhaps shed an empathic tear.

In the uneasy months after 9/11, successful businessman Phoenix Adams lands in New York, having closed the deal of his career. But as Manhattan's skyline comes into view, a profound emptiness engulfs him-the hollow victory of getting precisely what he thought he wanted.When a cryptic invitation leads him to an unmarked door in the Meatpacking District, Phoenix discovers an extraordinary speakeasy where the enigmatic proprietor Mircea remembers meeting him years before in an Italian garden. Beyond this threshold lies the Purging Room-a perfect circle where lost treasures and impossible books await and where four legendary figures appear to guide his transformation: a sensual French novelist, a curious English storyteller, a brilliant psychologist, and a Celtic poet.In this liminal space outside of time, Phoenix must confront the fragmentation of his life-his stifling marriage, his career success devoid of meaning, and the questions he's never dared to ask. As each encounter strips away another layer of pretense, he discovers that true freedom isn't found in escape but in integration-the courage to embrace every aspect of himself he's been taught to deny.Some doors, once opened, can never be closed again.

We are growing older. When America became a nation, only one in five people lived to age seventy. Now more than four out of five do. The average life expectancy in America is currently around eighty years-and increasing. This expansion begs the question, what are we to do with a second half of life that could last forty or more years? The additional time makes it inevitable that somewhere between age thirty-five and sixty, many of us will find ourselves at the cusp of a massive (and possibly catastrophic) transition.A decade ago, author Randy Elrod created a live experience (a rite of passage) for six people age 35 and over. Since then, he has guided nine Quest experiences in New Mexico and Tennessee with participants from all walks of life. While there is nothing like attending The Quest in person, the hope is this book will become a well-worn guide map for your journey into second life.The path of The Quest is a unique journey, and no two ways are alike. Therefore I say each story is different, yet every story is the same. The many options can be disorienting. But fortunately, we have universal waypoints (intermediate points) that guide us to find the wisdom needed to make this journey of personal freedom.Ten topics repeatedly appeared in the rituals, books, and resources I studied and in the conversations I've had with others going through the transition to second life. Psychologist Carl Jung calls such recurrences synchronicity or "meaningful coincidences."The waypoints (chapters) in this book explore each recurring theme. Ten ways to discover one's call to adventure, to survive the trials, accept the rewards, and, yes, enjoy the second half of life.

(Cloth Hardcover with Dust Jacket) We are growing older. When America became a nation, only one in five people lived to age seventy. Now more than four out of five do. The average life expectancy in America is currently around eighty years-and increasing. This expansion begs the question, what are we to do with a second half of life that could last forty or more years? The additional time makes it inevitable that somewhere between age thirty-five and sixty, many of us will find ourselves at the cusp of a massive (and possibly catastrophic) transition.A decade ago, I created a live experience (a rite of passage) for six people age 35 and over. Since then, I have guided nine Quest experiences in New Mexico and Tennessee with participants from all walks of life. While there is nothing like attending The Quest in person, I hope this book will become a well-worn guide map for your journey into second life.The path of The Quest is a unique journey, and no two ways are alike. Therefore I say each story is different, yet every story is the same. The many options can be disorienting. But fortunately, we have universal waypoints (intermediate points) that guide us to find the wisdom needed to make this journey of personal freedom.Ten topics repeatedly appeared in the rituals, books, and resources I studied and in the conversations I've had with others going through the transition to second life. Psychologist Carl Jung calls such recurrences synchronicity or "meaningful coincidences." The waypoints (chapters) in this book explore each recurring theme. Ten ways to discover one's call to adventure, to survive the trials, accept the rewards, and, yes, enjoy the second half of life.

(Laminate Version) We are growing older. When America became a nation, only one in five people lived to age seventy. Now more than four out of five do. The average life expectancy in America is currently around eighty years-and increasing. This expansion begs the question, what are we to do with a second half of life that could last forty or more years? The additional time makes it inevitable that somewhere between age thirty-five and sixty, many of us will find ourselves at the cusp of a massive (and possibly catastrophic) transition.A decade ago, Randy Elrod created a live experience (a rite of passage) called The Quest for people age 35 and over. Since then, he has guided Quest experiences in New Mexico and Tennessee with participants from all walks of life. While there is nothing like attending The Quest in person, the hope is that this book will become a well-worn guide map for one's journey into second life.The path of The Quest is a unique journey, and no two ways are alike. Therefore each story is different, yet every story is the same. The many options can be disorienting. But fortunately, there are universal waypoints (intermediate points) that guide one to find the wisdom needed to make this journey of personal freedom.During the fifteen years the author researched this book, ten topics repeatedly appeared in the rituals, books, and resources and his conversations with others going through the transition to second life. Psychologist Carl Jung calls such recurrences synchronicity or "meaningful coincidences."The waypoints (chapters) in this book explore those recurring themes. Ten ways to discover one's call to adventure, to survive the trials, accept the rewards, and, yes, enjoy the second half of life.

In the uneasy months after 9/11, successful businessman Phoenix Adams lands in New York having closed the deal of his career. But as Manhattan's skyline comes into view, a profound emptiness engulfs him-the hollow victory of getting exactly what he thought he wanted.When a cryptic invitation leads him to an unmarked door in the Meatpacking District, Phoenix discovers an extraordinary speakeasy where the enigmatic proprietor Mircea remembers meeting him years before in an Italian garden. Beyond this threshold lies the Purging Room-a perfect circle where lost treasures and impossible books await, and where four legendary figures appear to guide his transformation: a sensual French novelist, a curious English storyteller, a brilliant psychologist, and a Celtic poet.In this liminal space outside of time, Phoenix must confront the fragmentation of his life-his stifling marriage, his career success devoid of meaning, and the questions he's never dared to ask. As each encounter strips away another layer of pretense, he discovers that true freedom isn't found in escape but in integration-the courage to embrace every aspect of himself he's been taught to deny.Some doors, once opened, can never be closed again.